Volkswagen just set a new electric-car Nürburgring lap record

The ID.R isn't yet done posting blistering times on every major circuit in the world, apparently

If the test driver for Volkswagen, Romain Dumas, started playing “Tuesday’s Gone” by Lynyrd Skynyrd on an iPod when starting his record-setting lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, there would still be 87 seconds remaining in the song when he took the checkered flag.

With an average speed of 206.96 km/h, Volkswagen’s ID.R adds another notch to its all-electric belt.

After setting lap records at Pikes Peak and Goodwood for its type of car, Dumas wheeled it around the Green Hell in just 6:05.366 minutes, setting the fastest emission-free lap of all time at that facility.

To prepare for the challenge, the boffins at Volkswagen Motorsport gave the ID.R a complete rethink compared to the record outings at Pikes Peak and Goodwood.

Romain Dumas (F) in the Volkswagen ID.R at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife chasing a new e-recordVolkswagen

“For this evolved version of the ID.R, the aerodynamic configuration was more strongly adapted to the highest possible speed, rather than maximum downforce,” explains François-Xavier Demaison, Technical Director.

“With extensive test laps in the simulator and on the race track, we adapted the ID.R to the unique conditions of the Nordschleife, focusing mainly on chassis tuning, energy management, and optimal choice of tires for the record attempt.”

Check out the on-board footage, released today by the company. As you’d expect, it looks like a session of Forza Motorsport on fast-forward.

The sound of this electric racer at full chat is an unholy metallic shriek like that of Paul Bunyan sharpening his axe on the world’s largest airport Movator. If you’re wondering, the current production car record is held by Lamborghini, which recorded a relative walking pace of 6:44.97.

For those of you with short memories, the Volkswagen ID.R is powered by two electric motors, cranking out roughly 670 horsepower. The old EV record was set by the NIO EP9, whose name reminds your author of a telephone, which was bested by the VW to the tune of 40.564 seconds. In racing, that may as well have been a week.